WE CAN AGREE (GEN. 35)
1) What if someone says to us in the next few days, “wearing earrings is wrong”?
2) What if this person says that they can prove their assertion from the Bible?
3) We might be a little surprised and ask for their proof.
4) Suppose that we were directed to Gen. 35:2-4; what would we say?
5) Let’s start thinking about the matter by examining these three verses
a) In the previous chapter we read of how Simeon & Levi killed all the males in Shechem.
b)
After the murders God told Jacob to leave for
c)
Jacob was to build an alter in
d) Jacob knew that his family had some ties to paganism and false worship.
e) Some of his family members had “strange gods”, verse 2 (these were idols).
f)
The images were to be destroyed, the people were to
purify themselves, and
change their clothes.
g) The people were to go to Bethel to serve the true God (verse 3).
h) Where is the information about earrings? Verse 4.
i) The text refers to all the earrings (KJV).
j) Instead of dealing with the most expensive or a certain type, every earring is described.
k) What happened to every earring? All of this jewelry was buried beneath an oak tree.
l) These people had to get rid of the ornaments that graced the ears.
m) What if someone were to come to us and say, “Here is an example for us.”
n) If we want to serve God we must get rid of the sin and wrong in our lives (Gen. 35:2-3).
o) We must also get rid of any jewelry that is for the ear, Gen. 35:4.
p) Someone knowledgeable of the Bible might also tack on Rom. 15:4 to his or her argument.
q) We are to learn from the Old Testament.
r) Since the OT says to get rid of earrings, we are to learn from and imitate this action.
s) The material in Gen. 35 reminds me of the people who
say,
6) The Bible can be used to prove anything. There is also the popular which idea that says,
7) “Scripture means different things to different people.”
8) It is thought that we have one interpretation of scripture and others have a different interpretation.
9) The next time someone says this to you, if you want to make him or her squirm, use Gen. 35 & Rom. 15.
10) Watch someone’s jaw drop when you say you can prove that earrings are forbidden.
11) It is almost a certainty that someone will insist that this is not the point in Gen. 35..
12) You can finally agree that this right and then make this point:
13) Scripture, if it used correctly, cannot be used to prove anything.
14) Only by perverting or twisting the word of God can people “prove” something that is untrue or wrong.
15) FURTHERMORE, THE IDEA THAT EACH ONE HAS A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF GOD’S WORD AND WE CANNOT REALLY KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT IS ALSO AN IDEA THAT IS WRONG.
a) Staying with the book of Genesis let’s look at Gen.
37.
b) This chapter records a dream that was experienced by
Joseph.
c) In the Bible many people experienced special dreams
from God.
d) Heaven sometimes used dreams to communicate messages
to mankind.
e) The message from God to Joseph is in verses 5-8 and
9-10.
f) Let’s start with the first dream that is recorded in
verses 5-8.
g) Joseph dreamed a dream and then told it to his
brethren.
i) I once had a teacher who had many strange dreams.
ii) From time to time he would tell the students in his
class about his dreams.
iii) I remember him once saying that he had dreamed he
was a basketball.
iv) He was being dribbled up and down a basketball
court.
v) He was flying through the air in hopes of swishing
through the baskets.
vi) If we tried to interpret that dream we would all
have a different explanation for it.
vii) Joseph’s dream was a message from God.
viii)
How was this
message interpreted?
ix) Verse 7 shows that Joseph did nothing more than
describe his dream.
x) Verse 8 tells us that after the dream was described
his brothers all drew the same conclusion.
xi) There was no debate as to what the dream meant.
xii) The interpretation of the dream was uniform.
xiii)
Even though
this dream was actually a prophecy there was harmony in the interpretation.
xiv)
In the second
dream the sun, moon, and stars were subject to Joseph (verse 9).
xv) His father and his brothers again agreed as to the
meaning of what was described, verse 10.
xvi)
They were so
confident in their explanation of the dream that they were upset.
xvii)
Verse 10 says.
16) Not only was there agreement in what the dreams from
God meant, consider this point.
a) The dreams were filled with figurative images.
b) The dreams could not be understood in a way that is
literal.
c) The sun, moon, stars, and sheaves all represented
something.
d) Even though figurative imagery was used everyone
drew the same conclusion.
17) This says volumes about interpreting information
from God.
a) The Bible can be understood. We can understand it alike.
b) We can also make sense of and have agreement upon
matters that are figurative.
c) This is the way that things should be.
18) SINCE THE DREAMS FROM JOSEPH’S LIFE SHOW US THAT MEN CAN AGREE ON THE MEANING OF INFORMATION FROM GOD, WE ARE FACED WITH THE QUESTION OF HOW. THAT IS, HOW DO WE REACH AN UNDERSTANDING WITH OTHERS AS TO WHAT BIBLE PASSAGES MEAN?
a) Let’s return to the earrings in Gen. 35.
b) We and surely almost every other student of the
Bible agree that earrings are not prohibited.
c) What brings and most others to this conclusion?
d) The first consideration is the context.
e) In Gen. 35 there is information about idolatry.
f) This implies that the problem was not with the
earrings, but with how the earrings were used.
g) If we can find a link between idolatry and earrings
we may have better understanding of the text.
h) Does the Bible ever link idolatry with
earrings? Yes.
i) Hosea tied these two things together in Hos. 2.
j) It is true that Hosea lived many years after Jacob
and his family.
k) However, it is also true that many things in this
part of the world went unchanged..
l) One of the things that didn’t change from Jacob to
Hosea was the interest in idolatry.
m) Hosea described the false worship in this way – Hos. 2:13.
n) The worship of a false god was associated with
several things.
i) Incense was burned, earrings were worn, and the
worshippers were “decked” with jewels.
ii) This information may all be related to the context
of Gen. 35.
iii) Incense and earrings are not sinful by themselves.
iv) However, when joined with idol worship they are
wrong.
19) If people will study the Bible by using the
context, common sense, and supporting passages,
Many disagreements would be dissolved.
a) Too many times, though, disagreements over Bible
passages are not resolved.
b) In too many cases the problem is not related to
understanding a passage.
c) The problem is that someone does not want to accept
what a verse teaches.
d) This is seen in Gen.
37.
e) Jacob had dreamed a dream.
f) This dream indicated that he would be blessed and
somehow over all his family.
g) Had Joseph lived in our time his family may have
said, “There is another explanation.”
h) “We have a different interpretation of the dream.”
i) There must have been enough honesty in this family
to admit the truth.
j) They acknowledged the dream and its meaning but they
had a bad attitude.
k) According to Gen. 37:4 Joseph (he was 17, verse 2)
was already hated.
l) When he made known his dream he was hated even more
(Gen. 37:5b).
m) The bad feelings are further described in verse 8.
n) We know that Joseph had another dream (verse 9).
o) I am not sure I would have told anyone about a
second dream but this teenager did.
p) This dream caused him to be rebuked by his
father (verse 10).
q) Jacob asked if he and his wife would be bowing down
to their son.
i) Jacob did not reject his son’s dream because verse
11 says he kept it “in mind”.
ii) The dream was too important to forget but it was
distasteful to Joseph’s father.
iii) Joseph’s brothers found their brother’s dreams to be
especially unpleasant.
iv) The opening words in verse 11 describe the envy in
the hearts of Joseph’s brothers.
v) Verse 18 shows the results of the hatred for Joseph - READ.
r) If Joseph’s
dreams could not be explained away the dreamer could be killed.
s) This is what Joseph’s brothers wanted to do.
20) THIS SAME PRINCIPLE IS TRUE THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER.
a) There are people who exert great effort to avoid the
plain teachings of scripture.
b) Some find fault with God’s message by using the
techniques that have been described.
c) Some say that the Bible cannot be understood or
everyone understands it differently.
d) God’s word is subject to many different
interpretations.
e) We cannot know the truth.
f) Others attack the messenger.
g) If the points make from the Bible cannot be refuted,
the person making the points is attacked.
h) Early in the Bible we learn some things about the
interpretation of scripture.
i) If the Bible is handled accurately and carefully, we
will find and we will know the truth.
j) The next time someone says that we cannot understand
the Bible alike,
k) We need to remind ourselves that we are hearing a
message recorded by the devil.
l) This is not God’s view of His word.
m) When someone says that anything can be proven by
scripture, we must remember something else.
n) People can only give the appearance of proof by
somehow twisting the text.
o) When people have this view we should be eager to
study with them about earrings.
p) In our hearts and minds have we come to the
conclusion that the Bible can be understood?